


Companion Care

by summerartist



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who & Related Fandoms, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Bathing/Washing, F/M, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Medical, caring eleven, mostly medical but kinda sweet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-13
Updated: 2019-10-13
Packaged: 2020-12-14 12:31:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,236
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21015818
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/summerartist/pseuds/summerartist
Summary: Rory learns that sometimes you just have to lie there and take your sponge bath like a champ.





	Companion Care

He remembered being taken off of the oxygen and having his nasal cannula removed. He couldn’t recall much before being abducted and waking up on an exam bed. All around him there had been hospital-grade equipment, which had left him even more befuddled.

The Doctor had found him. He heard the tell-tale whir of his screwdriver as it swept over him. He remembered calling out to Amy several times. He had wanted her with him to make certain that she was safe. The Doctor had attempted to calm him down for several long minutes, stroking his forehead and nattering on about something. It was only when Amy had shouted at him from what sounded like a couple of rooms away did he start to settle down.

“See? Amy’s right over there, piloting the ship,” the Doctor told him. “So best keep it down for now. We want her to concentrate.”

“Piloting the ship? We’re on a ship?” Rory’s head was swimming so much it felt like it was about to drop off.

That still begged the question of why Amy wasn’t here in the Doctor’s place. He was sure that there was a perfectly reasonable explanation if he could just remember what had happened. As he stirred awake by increments, he became aware that he had been wearing only a sheet for quite some time. Also, he itched.

Rory shifted and sluggishly raised up his arm to try to find the source of the unpleasant sensation. An orange fluid covered him from fingertip to elbow and it continued on up his shoulder. Rory realized that he must be saturated with the stuff from top to toe. He recognized the color and odor.

“An Iodine solution. They must have been fairly up to date with 21st century surgical practices. It looks like we got here just in time. They were only able to sedate you,” the Doctor said calmly.

“They were going to perform surgery on me…?” Rory’s groggy brain attempted to keep up.

The Doctor hummed. Whether it was meant to comfort him or dodge the question, Rory didn’t know. The Doctor continued scanning him and checking his vitals, asking him things like if he was dizzy or nauseous and if he could remember the date.

“April 23rd. Friday, I think.” He had shut his eyes, gritting his teeth.

Immediately he could sense the Doctor hovering over him and asking what was wrong.

“I’m itchy. Really itchy.”

He was used to his patients getting similarly agitated with such a solution on them, but it was intense to be feeling it firsthand. He wanted to climb out of his own skin.

“What itches?” The Doctor peered curiously at him.

Rory hissed, feeling more and more compelled to scratch by the second. “Everything. God, it itches everywhere.”

He wanted the solution off of him, the sooner the better. He would have given anything to be able to hop into a shower right now. The problem was he was so drugged he could barely move his arms and legs, nevermind stand. Did alien space ships even have showers? He should look into it sometime, maybe when he wasn’t so dizzy.

“Hang on, let me find some equipment to give you a sponge bath.” The Doctor bustled away from his side.

He heard the Doctor rifle through the contents of the room, knocking over metallic objects in his haste. In some corner of his mind, Rory registered the Doctor’s promise. He didn’t have the energy to worry about it though, not until the Doctor wheeled up a cart beside him with a metal container he had filled with water.

“We’re lucky. They seemed to have anticipated hydrating you and stocked up accordingly.” The Doctor had managed to produce clean cloths from somewhere and proceeded to start soaking them in the water. He began wringing them out and he placed one in his hand.

“Here, you get the sensitive bits and I’ll get your back and sides. Can you sit up?” The Doctor started fidgeting with the exam bed, seeing if he could find the controls to tilt it up.

“I- Can you get Amy?” Rory asked.

“Can’t. She’s piloting a space ship, remember? Here.” The Doctor had finally figured out how to raise the bed.

As the Doctor tilted up the bed, Rory realized that this was actually happening. His head was still fuzzy, he itched like he was having a anaphylactic reaction, and the Doctor was going to give him a sponge bath. He could have laughed at the sheer absurdity of it all.

The Doctor whisked the sheet off of him while Rory blinked dazedly. On instinct, he started washing off his own arms. The Doctor began at his shoulders, working his way down to his sides. Rory managed to get his hips and thighs where a lot of the iodopovidone had collected. Each swipe of the cloth gave his skin much needed relief. He exhaled.

The Doctor remained calm as he sponged off Rory’s back and neck. He gently washed off Rory’s hands and wrists when the nurse had to take a break from cleaning himself. Rory was entirely aware that he was naked, but frankly he didn’t have the energy to kick up a fuss about it. Besides, the Doctor was being professional about it all.

“You would have made a good nurse,” Rory mused.

The Doctor smiled slightly as he started wiping down his shins. “Coming from you, I’ll take that as a compliment.”

Rory attended to the solution on his stomach while he distantly felt the Doctor cleaning his feet. The Doctor wadded up the towel to get at the creases where the solution had collected.

“They were really thorough with you, weren’t they. I’ve used up three towels already,” the Doctor mused aloud. He hastily shut his mouth and cast a somewhat anxious look at his patient as if he hadn’t meant to say that in front of him.

Rory was already sinking back deeper into the padded surface behind him. He felt wrung out, exhausted. Distantly, he heard a thumping sound a ways away, like someone was knocking on a door. The Doctor sped up his ministrations and threw the sheet back over him.

“That’ll be the crew. You just stay there and let me take care of it.” The Doctor patted his chest and rushed off.

Rory listened faintly to what sounded like yelling and a great deal of stomping about. His heart rate picked up. He heard the Doctor speak very loudly for a moment and silence fell. Eventually, the Doctor returned to the medical room.

“That’ll settle them down for now, at least until I can speak to their Head of Research. Are you all right?”

Rory hummed in affirmation. He was already feeling much better with the iodopovidone off of him. He was blinking sleepily, only mildly uncomfortable despite the circumstances. Amy seemed to be piloting them well if their smooth trajectory was any indication. Maybe he should sleep, just for a moment. The Doctor slipped a small pillow beneath his head as if anticipating his need.

“We never speak of this again,” Rory muttered.

“Of course.”

The Doctor ruffled his hair and gave a stifled laugh when Rory hissed at him. Rory quickly calmed down and was swept under by his exhaustion. He slept deeply, aware even subconsciously that he was safe at last.

The End.

**Author's Note:**

> Rory ended up speaking about it to Amy, who had been unhappy that he had been so uncomfortable but entirely unsympathetic when it came to his embarrassment. She had only expressed gratitude that her Raggedy Man had taken such good care of her fiancé. She kissed away Rory’s pouting frown.


End file.
